Intuition Ale Works' Underdark Imperial Stout set to reemerge

Once per year Intuition Ale Works releases a beer that has become a legend in the craft beer community. This year, on Saturday February 1st, the brewery will release their coveted Underdark Imperials Stout. Last year’s release of the inky black brew garnered rave reviews at RateBeer.com earning 98 out of 100 points. On Beeradvocate.com the brew attained 94 out of 100 and an Outstanding rating.

Underdark is a mixture of several of Inuition’s other, popular beers King Street and Truck Stop Stouts that has been aged in bourbon barrels.

Last year’s release was described by Steve Flores owner of Kickbacks Gastropub on Beer Advocate: “Aroma dominated by coffee, slight vanilla and molasses and just a touch of alcohol. Mouthfeel is thick and viscous. Very thick. Taste has nice coffee, touch of chocolate and vanilla, lots of roasted malts. Plenty of complexity but I think more layers will be added to the mix with additional aging in the bottle. Alcohol is well hidden. Deep. Dark. Mysterious. Perfect name, spectacular beer.”

The brewery has stated in an email newsletter that they set aside a limited quantity of last year’s release so that beer lovers could compare the beer with some age on it side-by-side with the new release.

As is fitting of such a huge release, the brewery is throwing a party and will shut down King Street like they did for their anniversary in November. In addition to Underdark, there will be a number of guest beers on tap. Hungry party-goers can chow down from two food trucks: Funkadelic and Chew Chew.

The 2014 release of Underdark bomber bottles will go on sale at 12:00 noon for $15 each. Purchasers must show a valid government-issued ID to purchase. A strict limit of two bottles per person will be adhered to. In addition to the beer, Underdark t-shirts ($20) and snifters ($6) will be available.

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Marc Wisdom is a man who knows and is passionate about craft beer. Born in the shadow of the Anheuser-Busch brewery in the German neighborhoods of south St. Louis, MO, Marc was destined to love beer and has embraced his destiny by sharing his knowledge with others. He is the monthly beer columnist for Jacksonville's Buzz Magazine, a contributor to Jacksonville Magazine, and a regular blogger at www.sprbrewcrew.com. His insights into the history, flavor aspects, and pairing possibilities of beer are invaluable to the novice craft beer drinker and indispensable to the more advanced beer lover. Contact Marc at mwisdom562@gmail.com.